נָסָה
nâçâh · H5254 · Hebrew · 36 occurrences
Meanings
-
to test, to put to the test
Action by which humans or deities make an effort to obtain information about (other) humans by observing them while they engage in a certain activity
ExamplesGenesis 22:1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Exodus 15:25 Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.
Exodus 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.
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to get used to
Literally: to test; hence: process by which people acquire a competency through a period of training
Examples1 Samuel 17:39 And David strapped on his sword over his military attire and struggled at walking, for he had not trained with the armor. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, because I have not trained with them.” And David took them off.
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to try, to attempt, to venture
Literally: to test; hence: action by which humans make an effort to engage in a certain activity
ExamplesDeuteronomy 4:34 “Or has a god ventured to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, just as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Deuteronomy 28:56 “The refined and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and tenderness, will be hostile toward the husband she cherishes and toward her son and daughter,
Job 4:2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient? But who can refrain from speaking?
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to test
Literally: to test; hence: action by which humans try to establish whether a divine message is true by carrying out an experiment
ExamplesJudges 6:39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me, so that I may speak only one more time; please let me put You to the test only one more time with the fleece: let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.”
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to test, to provoke
Literally: to put (a deity) to the test; action by which humans are disobedient towards deities in spite of the possibility that they might provoke them to anger
ExamplesExodus 17:2 So the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water so that we may drink!” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?”
Exodus 17:7 Then he named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”
Numbers 14:22 “Certainly all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice,
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to test
Literally: to test; hence: action by which humans try to acquire wisdom by getting engaged in certain activities
ExamplesEcclesiastes 2:1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility.
Ecclesiastes 7:23 I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” but wisdom was far from me.
How it’s used In 6 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
36 occurrences in 10 groups
- Not stated (infinitive) 9
- Not stated: I 6
- Not stated: they 5
- Not stated: he, she or it 5
- Not stated: you (more than one) 3
- Not stated: you (one person) 3
- Other words · 4 groups that occur once or twice (5) 5
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
30 occurrences in 14 groups
- וֹhim 5
- יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 4
- יִשְׂרָאֵלIsrael 3
- אֵלGod, god 3
- נִיme 3
- ךָּyou 3
- Other words · 8 groups that occur once or twice (9) 9
Second objectAs in “call him Lord”
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- שָׁמַרto keep, to guard, to observe 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
18 occurrences in 16 groups
- בin/on/with+ הֶםthem 3
- Other words · 15 groups that occur once or twice (18) 18
With adverbsAdverbs
6 occurrences in 2 groups
- לֹאnot 5
- שָׁםthere 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
6 occurrences in 2 groups
- לto/for 5
- כlike/as 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 1 word
- בָּחַן bâchan · H974 · to test, to refine
- Both words denote testing or trying, with substantial overlap in renderings ("prove, tempt, try" appear in both).
In the other Testament 1 word
- πειράζω peirázō · G3985 · to test, to examine, to put to the test
- Greek πειράζω (peirázō, G3985) serves as the standard LXX rendering of Hebrew נָסָה (nâçâh, H5254), both denoting the act of testing, proving, or trying someone/something, whether in the sense of divine testing of humans (Exodus 16:4, Deuteronomy 8:2), human testing/tempting of God (Exodus 17:2, Numbers 14:22, Psalm 78:18), or general proving/assaying.
Semantic domains 6 entries
- Test002004002012
- The word describes putting someone or something to the test, as God tests Abraham (Genesis 22:1) and the Israelites test the LORD at Massah and Meribah (Exodus 17:2, 17:7), tying the word to deliberate trial or examination.
- Able002001001001
- The word can describe attempting or being able to do something not yet proven, as in trying on armor or equipment before battle, a broader sense of capability-testing than the citations sampled here.
- Engage002003003011
- The word is used of actively engaging in a trial or venture, a broader sense of undertaking than the strict testing citations sampled here.
- True002001003017
- The word can describe testing something to establish whether it is genuine or reliable, a broader veracity sense than the citations sampled here.
- Unwilling002001002031
- The word is used of provoking or trying someone's patience through repeated demands, as the people's quarrel and testing of the LORD provokes His response (Exodus 17:2), a broader sense of straining tolerance than plain examination.
- Wise002001002029
- The word can also describe testing someone's wisdom or discernment, as the LORD tests Israel to know whether they will walk in His instruction (Exodus 16:4), tying the word to an assessment of obedient understanding.
Word family 2 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H5254. nasah [נָסָה] verb Pi`el test, try (Late Hebrew id., Pi`el; ᵑ7 Pa`el נַסִּי;…
[נָסָה] verb Pi`el test, try (Late Hebrew id., Pi`el; ᵑ7 Pa`el נַסִּי; Syriac Pa`el ; compare Ethiopic temptation); —
Pi`el Perfect3masculine singular נִסָּה Deu 4:34 Deu 4:3t.; suffix נִסָּהוּ Exo 15:25; Exo 15:3feminine singular נִסְּתָה Deu 28:56; Deu 28:1singular נִסִּיתִי Ecc 7:23, + 4 t. Perfect; Imperfect3masculine singular suffix יְנַסֵּם Dan 1:14; Dan 1:1singular אֲנַסֶּה Jdg 6:39; suffix אֲנַסְּכָה Ecc 2:2-3;masculine plural יְנַסּוּ Num 14:22; Num 14:2masculine plural תְּנַסּ֑וּן Exo 17:2, + 7 t. Imperfect; Imperative נַס Dan 1:12; suffix נַסֵּנִי Psa 26:2; Infinitive construct נַסּוֺת Exo 20:20, + 8 t. Infinitive; Participle מְנַסֶּה Deu 13:4; —
1 test, try (synonym בחן), absolute 1Sa 17:39 (a sword); with בְּ Judges 7:39; Ecc 2:1; with accusative Dan 1:12, Dan 1:14; accusative + בְּ 1Ki 10:1 2Ch 9:1; Ecc 7:23.
2 attempt, assay, try to do a thing, with Infinitive Deu 4:34; Deu 28:56; with accusative Job 4:2 (venture a word).
3 test, try, prove, tempt [but not in modern sense of the word: see DrDeu 6:16; Psalms 453, 483]
a. God tests or proves Abraham Gen 22:1 (E), Israel Exo 15:25; Exo 20:20 (E), Exo 16:4 (J), Deu 8:2, Deu 8:16; Deu 13:4; with בְּ Jdg 2:22; Jdg 3:1, Jdg 3:4; tribe of Levi Deu 33:8 (poem); Hezekiah 2Ch 32:31; psalmist Psa 26:2.
b. Israel tests, or tries God: Exo 17:2, Exo 17:7; Num 14:22 (J), Deu 6:16; Psa 78:18; Psa 78:41; Psa 78:56; Psa 95:9; Psa 106:14; so Ahaz, Isa 7:12.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 6 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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